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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26686021">Venturing Down the Old Path</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buwch/pseuds/Buwch'>Buwch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic (Video Games), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, Conlangs, Fictional Cultures, Fictional Religion &amp; Theology, Fusion of Star Wars Legends and Disney Canon, Gen, KotOR references, Languages and Linguistics, Minor canon divergences, Mostly Legends, Other Additional Tags to Be Added</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:46:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,191</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26686021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buwch/pseuds/Buwch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A veteran of the Clone Wars begins a new journey with the help of an ex-jedi turned starpilot.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jahima Del &amp; Kinti Aralli</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A New Beginning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/6688336">The Erosion of the Spirit</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/425599167/pseuds/425599167">425599167</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Things were not going well for Kinti Aralli. Having been rejected for a contract for Thalin Jailhouse, she'd decided to visit a favourite bar of hers to lift her spirits.</p><p>"May I take your order, Miss?"</p><p>"Oh, Yes. May I have Alderaanian Red Wine and Thalini noodles, please?"</p><p>The waitress silently judged Kinti as she jotted down her order, who in their right mind drank Alderaanian Wine with cheap noodles?</p><p>"It should be out in about 30 minutes, have a nice night, Miss."</p><p>"You too."</p><p>While the Waitress walked away from Kinti a hand tapped her shoulder</p><p>"Yeah?" Kinti said as she turned.</p><p>An old man greeted her</p><p>"Major Aralli?"</p><p>"Colonel Lur? I haven't seen you since... Kashyyyk." The very thought of Kashyyyk made her shudder.</p><p>"The less said of it the better, We all lost some of ourselves in the war." The Colonel glanced down at her mechanical arm.</p><p>"How's life been to you? Clones seem to get the credit for winning-and the credits too." Said the Colonel.</p><p>"Alright, finances notwithstanding. Plenty of mouths to feed so my crops will fetch a price-though low. How've you been, Colonel?"</p><p>"Quite well, Aratech Security Department gave me quite a lucrative position. Always short bodies, even in management. You need work, check ASD."</p><p>"I suppose I could use an extra job here or there. Thanks for the tip, Colonel."</p><p>"My pleasure Major. I should get going now, don't want the wife getting suspicious" he glanced to the doorway.</p><p>"Anyways, goodbye!"</p><p>"Bye, Colonel."</p><p>Aratech. Their blasters, munitions, armor, tibanna, and vehicles were practically the life blood of the Telosian Army. Kinti could remember when she joined on her 16th birthday, just weeks after the Clone Wars started. Two Divisions of raw Telosians were sent to Christophsis alongside the clones-somebody on the council must have had a favour to return. Half of the Telosians died or were captured. Meanwhile that bastard Skywalker did nothing. Kinti took a great deal of satisfaction in knowing he was dead. A voice lifted her from her daydreams of a thousand horrible and gruesome deaths of Skywalker.</p><p>"Your wine, Miss."</p><p>"Oh. Uh... Thank you."</p><p>The bottle of wine was quite large, especially for one of Kinti's stature, but such things weren't surprising anymore, especially for a bar known for it's veteran clientele. Kinti took the glass and bottle and the Waitress went on her way. The Purplish-Red liquid found itself in her glass, while some drops found themselves on the table.</p><p>"Oh blast it all!"</p><p>Her mechanical hand put down the bottle as she reached for a napkin. She hadn't a clue why Telosian Field Infirmaries installed prosthetics rather than proper ship-hospitals, as was common, but she somehow suspected prosthetics of somewhat dubious quality were also the norm there. She took the glass in her left hand, her only flesh appendage left, and quickly doused the rising memory of Kashyyyk in the sweet taste of wine. Kinti poured herself another glass, this time preserving it for more than 30 seconds. The wine lulled her, and she was startled by a familiar voice</p><p>"Your order Miss."</p><p>"Ohh... Thanks."</p><p>She left the bowl on her table and the Waitress walked off, to deal with another broken vet in all likelihood. Kinti quickly dug into her noodles like a hungry rancor, a very small hungry rancor anyways. Someone only 1.5 meters tall would usually have aroused suspicion if alone, but perhaps her limbs and regularity to the cantina eschewed such suspicions. As she devoured the cheap starch, washing it down with wine, Kinti thought more and more about Colonel Lur's words. Aratech paid well, and at any rate it beat sitting around her the middle of nowhere, in the Telosian far north, freezing her cargo hold off. Kinti decided to call ASD to see of they had any contracts available-piracy was rampant enough, and they desperate enough, to accept legally binding contracts on the fly. The holocall buffered for a second, then came to life</p><p>"Aratech Security Contracting, how may we help you?"</p><p>"Uh, yes, I was wondering if any contracts were available, and if so, would like to apply for one."</p><p>"Well lets see, it says your location...is 134 kilometres from New Thani. If you can make it there in 3 hours, a Ghtroc 690 freighter could use aome security. It should be known Aratech takes no responsibility for injury or death on interstellar journeys, as agreed to in signing any contracts with us."</p><p>"I'm interested, what does it pay?"</p><p>"2,100 credits, the journey should take about 4 days, It's a run from Telos to Alderaan."</p><p>"I'll accept that contract. Anything I need to know?"</p><p>"The freighters ID is 97-265-981, and has... one crewman. It is expected you bring your own arms. It will be found at landing zone 6 in New Thani. I'll need your name and some confirmation of ID."</p><p>"Kinti Aralli. Military ID number 1982-6189-0151, Telosian Army."</p><p>"1982-6189-0151...Kinti Aralli...Major...face matches... Yep, checks out. By stating "I consent" you acknowledge rules and regulations issued by Aratech which shall be loaded onto your datapad."</p><p>"I consent." Replied Kinti.</p><p>"Good! Have a good night, ma'am"</p><p>"You too."</p><p>Kinti hung up, and went back to drinking and eating. The soft melody of Bith musicians' instruments and a singing Twi'lek girl calmed her, and in combination with the Alderaanian wine, left her far more relaxed than she'd been in a long time.</p><p>
  <em>134 kilometres? I should probably get going now. I'll be taking the wine, too.</em>
</p><p>Glancing around to make sure no one was looking, Kinti screwed the bottle cap on and hid the bottle in the left side of her coat. Kinti ate the last of her noodles, then proceeded to set the datapad attached to the table as "bill me". Quickly a male Twi'lek came over and said,</p><p>"I hope you've enjoyed your meal. The bill should be...137 credits."</p><p><em>Damn that wine was expensive,</em> thought Kinti. She grabbed her debit flimsi and swiped it on the card reader,.</p><p>"All set, have a nice evening, ma'am."</p><p>"You too."</p><p>Kinti hoped nobody noticed her clutching an object in her coat as she briskly walked out. Thankfully her speeder had autopilot, so she wouldn't be thrown in the slammer for intoxicated flying.</p><hr/><p>An Etti woman accepted the holocall</p><p>"Yea?"</p><p>"Jahima Del, a security officer named Kinti Aralli had been assigned to your vessel. Her Holocall ID is 5-482-456-972-253 Telosian. Signing off."</p><p>"Great. ASD is crawling up my ion engine and soon enough they'll have me arrested." She muttered.</p><p>"<em>//Kinti Aralli=enemy?// or //Kinti Aralli=friend?//"</em> beeped a utility droid.</p><p>"I don't know, R3. We'll cross that bridge when we get there."</p><p>The R3-O9 beeped, and rolled back off to inspecting the hyperdrive. Whoever this Aralli was, Jahima wasn't taking any chances, so she went off to get her stun gun and holstered it to her side. Jahima decided then to inspect the cargo, since she wasn't too fond of having to pay for replacements for things she didn't damage.</p><hr/><p>A half asleep Kinti Aralli gazed out the window of the speeder upon the deep green pine forests which surrounded her. She dug up an old blaster pistol-a trophy from the war. A few stars could be seen in the sky as Telos sun descended beneath the horizon.</p><p>"<em>Thirty one kilometres to New Thani spacedock. Proceeding 25 kilometres before turning off Telos Rural Highway Route 45."</em>.  The planetary positioning system and autopilot said in an increasingly annoying voice.</p><p>"This fucking dirt path counts as a highway?" Kinti thought aloud. There hadn't been anything besides logging freight and the occasional landspeeder. Surprising the Telos council even wasted the credits on this,  there were a scarce few villages and a town between New Thani and Ben-Ammon, back where she lived. Certainly not enough even to warrant a clearing, let alone road. The wine slowly got the best of her, and eventually, sweet sleep was cast upon her.</p><hr/><p>
  <em>"C'mon platoon, move it! We ain't sweeping clean these mines until the explosive charges blast them open! Move! Move!" Lieutenant Lur screamed, his moustache frozen with ice as the polar air slowly froze them all. The platoon caught up with him and began placing thermal charges at the entrance to one of the mine shafts, the first of many the Telosians and Christophsians were set to clear.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Arming charges now, sir!" A male Zabrak shouted.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"As soon as you finish with those run like hell, We won't be of any use dead!" The howling of the wind practically silenced Lieutenant Lur.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Armed and ready! Get to cover!" Kinti shouted</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You heard her, run!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Droid starfighters! Get tracking missiles, radio the fleet the Telosians need backup! More of these droids will blow the rest of us to he-"</em>
</p><p><em>The air screamed as a rocket from the mines</em> <em> exploded her behind Kinti as she ran, knocking her over.</em></p><p>
  <em>"Droids sallying out! Fire at will!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The second and third platoons assigned to Kinti's company rushed forward to meet the oncoming B1s. Kinti spun around and aimed her rifle at the white-painted B1s as red bolts flew through the freezing air, cutting down man and machine alike. Her shots rendered more than a few clankers piles of scrap. The starfighters circled around and rained more bolts upon the Telosians, killing and maiming at least a dozen, only to recieve rockets in return, sending them both to the ground. More rockets were fired upon the B1s, blasting them to bits. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"B2s! Watch those wrist-rockets!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Seemingly out of nowhere a rocket exploded above Kinti, sending the world blissfully dark as she heard whispers just beyond her comprehension.</em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>"You've been out for days, Private Aralli. We we're beginning to think you wouldn't make it." Spoke the doctor.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You lost your entire right arm practically, your right leg had to be amputated, and your left leg had to be amputated below the knee. In addition you suffered severe burns on your back and what remains of your left leg and arm. Thankfully Bacta's has fixed most of that up." The Twi'lek spoke.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What happened?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"A rocket of some sort. If you mean to Christophsis, the seps left. Such a great help the Jedi were too, droid counterattack killed or wounded nearly a quarter of our men and captured another quarter, who the clankers ran off with. General Skywalker refused to send any medical teams or reinforcments throughout the attack, though our boys and the Christophsians eventually drove the droids back. We've been practically worked to death, and as soon as the fucking smoke cleared, that son of a harlot ran off with his slave army!  At the very least some clones smuggled some supplies to us.Hope Skywalker fucking crashes and burns on some shithole planet."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"T-they did nothing to help us? Fucking Jedi, though I guess I should expect this considering a Jedi is the seppie leader. What of my company?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The 13th? Got off light compared to most, since your thermal charges were detonated on the B2s. 17 dead, and 67 wounded. They blew the mines to high hell, too. Nobody will be getting those minerals."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"May I see a list of the deceased? I want to know if my friends are alright."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sure, let me fetch the reports..." The Twi'lek walked off. In the minutes after he left, Kinti moved her mechanical arm and legs, getting the feel of her new limbs</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Beats dying I suppose." She joked to herself.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Here Private. Oh, and General Vao requested this medallion be given to all the wounded"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Wound Badge was quite common, hell she'd already got one after a fight with a dark jedi and her squad. But when she saw the first name on the list, her heart jumped to her throat.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Onin Sicota</em>
</p><hr/><p>Tears welled in Kinti's eyes as the autopilot declared loudly</p><p>"Destination 6 Kilometres ahead. Turning right on to Carth Onasi lane."</p><p>The wooded dirt path was replaced by a busy street packed with speeders. She scanned the readouts for the time, and took solace she still had an hour left, so with the famous New Thani traffic she'd be there in 30 minutes. She quietly wept to herself as she turned off autopilot, she thought she was sobered up enough to pilot herself. As she passed the rows and rows of apartments and houses she regained her composure,</p><p>
  <em>"Crying won't bring Jayn back. He's passed to the otherworld, where our Shepherd gathers his flock. I shall see him again, there is no need to weep. " Kinti reminded herself.</em>
</p><p>"Destination in 100 metres, proceed to turn right onto the spacedock entrance ramp" said the PPS.</p><p>Kinti turned right when prompted, and proceeded to speeder parking. Thankfully veterans parked for free, and there was no time limit for parking for spacefarers.  She grabbed her kit bag and blaster pistol, shoving it in her coat, and running off to the customs officer. The Zabrak officer said.</p><p>"ID, please. Do you have any military grade weapons on your person?"</p><p>Kinti pulled out her service flimsi</p><p>"Yes, this blaster" She pulled it from her coat.</p><p>"Do you intend on selling it?"</p><p>"No officer."</p><p>"Alright then. You know where you're going, ma'am?"</p><p>"Not particularly. I'm looking for a ship with the ID code 97-265-981."</p><p>"Nine-eight-one...Pad A9. All pads are labelled, it should be on your right after you turn left."</p><p>"Thank you officer" Kinti said as she walked off. The officer punched something into his computer as she ran off to the landing pads, running past columns C and B before finally running right on column A. She walked past the first eight craft, all old freighters. This must be the paupers pad. Certainly didn't bode well for her freighter. The sign read "A9", and a sky blue-skinned woman walked down the loading ramp</p><p>"You're ASD? Tell me I ain't getting hauled off to jail."</p><p>"Errr...Contracted your freighter for security. My name's Kinti Aralli. You aren't under arrest, though you leave me suspicious as to why you even thought you were."</p><p>"Some cargo was damaged on my last run and they think I did it. Wasn't my damn fault their droid parts cracked! Maybe they should pack 'em better next time. My name's Jahima Del, miss Aralli. If you're all ready, we'll take off now."</p><p>"Then let's go." Aralli said to the Etti. She'd seen Etti before, she was guarding a Telosian diplomat negotiating Etti medicine imports. However seeing one off Etti IV? That was a first. She followed the black-haired pilot onboard the vessel and sat in the co-pilots chair.</p><p>"Close the loading ramp, R3! Also get the computer to plot the hyperspace jump to Alderaan while we're at it." Said Jahima</p><p>"//<em>R3=Closing ramp now.// //Ramp= closed.// //Computer=calculating.//" </em>The droid beeped back. Jahima began flipping various switches across the dashboard before finally engaging the repulsor lifts.</p><p>"Fire up the engines, Miss Aralli."</p><p>"Yes Ma'am, engines firing up." Kinti replied as her flesh hand pulled backward the thrust lever.</p><p>"Jahima will do fine Miss Aralli.  Disengage repulse lifts please."</p><p>"Lifts disengaged. Kinti is fine too, you know."</p><p>"Sure thing then, Kinti. Mind if I ask how you got all those mechanical limbs? No offence meant."</p><p>"None taken. They're souvenirs from the clone wars. Rocket shrapnel damn near tore my limbs off. I had to get extensive reconstructive surgery and bacta therapy on my left arm, and I totally lost my right leg. I lost most of my left leg as well, but some of it was able to be saved. I'd prefer not to talk about the war." Kinti said to the Ettian</p><p>"Neither do I. I was too young to fight, but I saw the horrors of war, though I'm sure what I saw was tame compared to the actual battle fields."</p><p>After clearing past the docking pads, Jahima spun the ship around so it would enter a prograde orbit rather than a retrograde orbit. Kinti relaxed a bit as they flew over the skyline of New Thani, skyscrapers glistening in the orange sunlight as the sun gleamed off the waves and lakes. The Ettian drew her from her thoughts</p><p>"Pretty, isn't it? Don't get too attached, most of the Galaxy is a festering slime pit you'll be glad you don't have to see beyond fuel stops."</p><p>"I'm aware. Separatists seemed to love barren, scorched and ugly worlds or frozen worlds that would make a flaming Wookiee shiver. Thankfully all those droids either got melted down to scrap or are hidden away deep in the middle of nowhere just waiting for the Stormtroopers to blast 'em to bits. New Thani got off luckier than the rest of Telos, you know. The rebels had already surrendered by the time the stormtroopers arrived. Suprised they weren't out for revenge once they reached rhe city."</p><p>"You have to keep in mind a lot of those guys were Telosians. The Empire wanted to make that a pacification, not a conquest. Still I don't exactly lose any sleep over the thought of dead stormtroopers.". The blue pilot said.</p><p>"I'd be careful who you said that too. I'm no fan of the Empire after the "pacification", but plenty of the Telosians and rest of the Galaxy are. Not like the Empire hasn't done anything for 'em, you know? The crime syndicates and spice runners are either rotting in prison or they've gone underground." Kinti said.</p><p>"I know, but since you signed up for a job to Alderaan I figured at the very least you didn't care some of these weapons found their way to rebels. Only reason the Imps don't crack down is they can't pin it on who's doing the shipments, and since the rebels kill eachother more than they do Imps chances are the Imps are quite fine with the weapons flowing. Shame Alderaan became a hub of black market goods, I don't want to see another Nar Shaddaa rise in its place."</p><p>"That why you really thought you were getting hauled of to jail?"</p><p>"Nope. If I was getting arrested by the Imps they'd make a grand show of arresting me, they wouldn't send just one woman. Aratech would however."</p><p>"Speaking of the Imperial soldiers, the ones on Telos any better than elsewhere? I haven't left this planet since the war."</p><p>"Depends where you are and who you are. Near humans like us will usually do fine with them, but some of the more xenophobic Imps will give aliens a hard time. Telos is supposed to be a model occupation, merely maintaining order while leaving most things to the civilian government. The Imps have got this quite well, they know how to play their cards right so a conquered world can feel that it was liberated, and that an Empire which brought slavery back broke their chains. It's only when you get to actively rebelling worlds or a particularly egotistic moff's sector that the Stormtroopers or other Imps will bother you." The buzzing of a droid suddenly cut her off</p><p>"//<em>What time=Me+You+Your Friend=arrive?//" </em></p><p>"Oh have you got to be the most impatient droid ever. Or is this fun to you, torturing me with "are we there yet?""</p><p>The droid seemingly laughed in Binary before rolling off.</p><p>"Well Kinti, since we're all set with the take off you van unpack your things if you'd like. We'll be stopping off at Mirial to get enough hyperfuel, then swing back round to Telos and all the way to Brentaal, where we'll go on the Commenor route till we get to Alderaan. Thankfully since we have a fast hyperdrive it should be a few days, so don't get too comfortable. We'll be arriving at Mirial in 3 hours.."</p><p>"Alright then. I'll be in the guest room if you need me" Kinti said as she walked off, picking up her kit. As she walked down the narrow corridor she quickly found the guest room and threw her kit down on the bed. Taking out her old grey uniform, issued following various centralisation decrees by Chancellor Palpatine during the war, she put it in the lockbox located on the foot off the bed. She nearly fell over as the ship entered hyperspace, its blue streaks visible out the porthole. Kinti could remember the last time she was in hyperspace...</p><hr/><p><em>"Alright men. Marshall Vao has dispatched our division to aid Wookiees of Kashyyyk against Separatist invaders. We've brought the Seps to their breaking point, if we drive them out and other offensives on Utapau, Mygeeto and Felucia are successful, I'd say we'll be home within three months. Major Aralli shall elaborate in further detail our placement on Kashyyyk and our objectives, as she participated in wargaming scenarios of Kashyyyk." Major</em> <em> Aralli stepped up to Colonel Lur, and began to speak.</em></p><p>
  <em>"Jedi Master Yoda is in command of the Wookiee and Clone forces of Kashyyyk, and is in command of us too. Our division will be stationed along a 25 kilometre stretch of islands and beaches to bolster Wookiee forces fending off the West prong of the Seppie assault. They aim, in our estimation, to encircle Yoda's divisions and capture the fuel production facilities he is defending. We will halt the Separatist advance and should be ready for a counterattack if necessary to prevent Seppie forces from focusing in on Yoda's forces. 4 Regiments of clones will be additionally provided to us for our defense, and they shall be commanded by Jedi Master Unduli. Any orders from Unduli are to be obeyed provided they do not violate the Republic Rules of Conduct, Engagement and Military Discipline. The heaviest droid weaponry will be arrayed against us, so our clones are artillerymen. Any insubordination to clones ranking higher than you is unacceptable and will result in courts martial if necessary. Do I make myself abundantly clear?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes sir!" The division shouted in unison. Aralli always found it odd how all officers, regardless of sex, were referred to as sir.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Since the assassination of General Cefyn, I have been temporarily placed in command of our division. We shall be disembarking to Kashyyyk immediately. We have aerial superiority in our sector, but do not let that fool you, their aerial forces very well may be sent in to strike us. All anti-aerial batteries shall be fully manned at all times." Colonel Lur said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Major Aralli, you are second in command of the division, as you know, however though you are an acting Colonel you are still a Major, you shall follow lawful orders of your superiors, you know this, right?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes Sir. Shall I leave with the first Battalions?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes Major. Be prepared for anything."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Colonel patted her shoulder.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"See you on the other side."</em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p>The pilot's voice brought her back from her memories of her finest hour.</p><p>"Hey, Kinti."</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"Is something wrong? You seem a bit...out of it."</p><p>"I'm fine. Just thinking of the last time I was in hyperspace."</p><p>"During the war?"</p><p>"Yep. Ask away if you want. Just don't expect to hear about the battles."</p><p>"Well...uhm...What'd you do in the war?"</p><p>"I was a Major in the 13th Telosian Army Division. We were a bunch of rookiees, but the war ground us into some of the best non-clone units there were. We even had Jedi commanders from time to time, and towards the very end we even received clone armour. Telos was damn proud of us once we returned home. Most of the men retired back to their old lives, while a few either worked their way up the ranks or even joined the first non-clone stormtrooper divisions. I retired, and the rest of the 13th were rolled into the 15th. I was second in command of the 13th following the assassination of our General, Right behind Colonel Lur."</p><p>"A Major, in second in command?"</p><p>"You mustn't be from Telos, we have no Lieutenant Colonels, and each division typically has only one Colonel. Each Brigade has an assigned Major, each regiment was commanded by a Captain. Each Battalion was commanded by a First Lieutenant. Each Company was commanded by a Second Lieutenant, and each Platoon was commanded by a Third Lieutenant. Odd, I know."</p><p>"You're twenty three years old, right? How'd you climb your way up to Major? Even if you enlisted at sixteen, seven years ain't that long." Jahima said</p><p>"I was promoted to Sergeant Major after Christophsis, and per emergency military orders, certain classes of officers were not required to receive formal NCO and later officer training. Since I was in the Infantry, I was exempt. Following commendations by Colonel Lur after the Second Battle of Geonosis, I was promoted to Third Lieutenant, skipping NCO ranks as those are rarely assigned to Infantry officers. From there I worked my way up the ranks by, at risk of being a bit too egotistical, according to Colonel Lur, by being an exemplary tactician. By Kashyyyk, our final battle, I was Major and had been appointed acting Colonel by Colonel Lur, himself acting General." Kinti said.</p><p>"I was only sixteen when the war ended. Do you remember the Jedi purge?"</p><p>Kinti's face turned to stone.</p><p>"Yes. I had no part in that affair. At first, I believed the Jedi really did betray us, but the more I learned, the more improbable it seemed.". Jahima nodded.</p><p>"Just between you and me. I'll have to kill you if you speak about this. I...spared...a Jedi. I received the order from the Chancellor, and I resolved to do it myself. I hated Jedi, I wanted to see her suffer, to make them suffer like we did as they abandoned us time and time again. I informed my men of my intentions, and likewise our clones. I jumped on a speeder, and after an hour of searching, I found our target. Meditating amongst the trees of Kashyyyk, she probably didn't even notice me. I aimed my rifle, but something, I-I don't know what, just said <em>No.</em> So I didn't. I slung on my blaster and approached the Jedi. She said to me,</p><p>"Wise choice. Now tell me, what the hell is going on? I can feel the deaths of the Jedi."</p><p>So I told her about the order. About how the Jedi had betrayed the Republic. She said to me</p><p>"If I betrayed the Republic I'd have killed you and taken command of your division. I won't. I sense something, come."</p><p>So I did. She made me <em>see.</em> Not with my eyes, but through this religious concept of theirs, the force. It's what binds all things together, or so I had heard. I sensed something dark, evil, when She made me see. I didn't realise what it was.  It was a shadow encircling the Galaxy, manipulating it to its will. I still don't know what that was. I just knew it wasn't that Jedi, there was no treachery in her. So I spared her. I told her to flee, I'd say I couldn't find her to my men and conduct a bogus search later. She left. I don't know if she lived or not, but even though I hated her, I hated all the Jedi, I realised they were not the monsters I thought. Most, anyways. So I retired after Kashyyyk, disgusted by the purges. Pro-Jedi officers were purged as well. Dishonourably discharged if they were lucky, or imprisonment or execution if they weren't. The rest just adapted. They finished the war without the Jedi, and celebrated every dead Jedi. I went into hiding on Telos, if they knew what I did, or rather failed to do, I'd have been shot."</p><p>"I hate the Imps, your secret is safe with me.". The Ettian reached under a panel in the wall, producing a familiar object to Kinti</p><p>A yellow beam shot out from it.</p><p>"I can teach the force. I was a Jedi. The force has an odd way of things, and I suspect it wanted us to meet. If you wish, I can start where that Jedi left off, and show you the ways of the force."</p><p>"Figures I get stuck with a fucking Jedi. Well I suppose if the Imps ever come after you, knowing the force would help a lot. Sure. Just don't pull something like that again, you have no clue just who might be watching. How'd you survive the purge, Jahima?"</p><p>"Long story short I was a failed Jedi so they sent me off to the exploration corps, a bunch of Jedi rejects who like to feel superior attempting and failing to find new hyperlanes. We could build lightsabers, as you can see. The purge caught up to us, too. I stole this ship here and ran off to Nar Shaddaa, changed the codes and removed any Jedi indicators. My old name was Jahima Okonzo, but for obvious reasons I changed that and got false identity papers. I got a contract with Aratech to transport goods soon enough, and so far I've avoided detection."</p><p>"If you wish to teach me the force, let's start." Kinti said.</p><p>"Close your eyes, and empty your mind."</p><p>Kinti wordlessly obeyed.</p><p>"Can you feel my presence in the force?"</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"Good. Now focus on the energy surrounding you. The droid as he rolls about the ship, the energy of hyperspace swirling around you, the ticking of the mechanisms, the vibration of the hyperdrive. Reach out and grasp this lightsaber, with the force."</p><p>The lightsaber rose a few centimetres before it fell back down.</p><p>"Damn-"</p><p>"Such things are normal. Very few could even grasp something with the force on their first attempt.  Now try again, use your connection to the force to strengthen you. The force is your ally, and it shall always be with you."</p><p>The duo sat there for hours, Kinti readily receiving knowledge of the force. What was first a faint glimpse into the nature of the force on Kashyyyk, was now a clear vision of the force. What had been planted by Master Unduli on Kashyyyk, had grown, and with the help of this new Jedi companion of hers, it may grow into a strong and thick pine, steady against the winds of the universe, anchored down to the forests of Telos, enduring against the passing of time.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Come Master, Come Apprentice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If anyone is wondering why this took so long, I may or may not have cut out basically the entirety of the Mirial subplot because it made no sense whatsoever, and instead replaced it with an Ossus plotline.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Mirial, 3637 ATC</strong>
</p><p>"Miss Del, the cost of the fuel totals to...835 credits" a tall Mirialan man said. Jahima pulled out a card and swiped it through his scanner</p><p>"Checks out. Stay out of trouble, pirates prowl around since the droid army isn't around to keep 'em check anymore. Hopefully the Imperials get their act together and sweep this sector clean. Have a nice day, spacer."</p><p>"You too." Kinti said as they turned back to their ship.</p><p>Jahima whispered under her breath "something seems off"</p><p>Kinti whispered back</p><p>"Yeah, that guy was as slimy as a Quarren swimming in sewage."</p><p>"Not just that, I'll say more on the ship." Jahima whispered back. The duo walked up the loading ramp</p><p>"You fly the thing Aralli. Just get to orbit, I'll be meditating"</p><p>"You mean sleeping. Sure, I'll fly, but why just to orbit?"</p><p>"You'll see Kinti, you'll see."</p><p>Jahima walked off to some corner of the ship. Kinti sighed began the launch sequence, engaging the repulsors to lift the freighter off the ground. The engines let out a proud roar as the ship shot off into the Mirialan sky, the city below shrinking beneath her as the ship flew further into the atmosphere.</p>
<hr/><p>Jahima settled into a meditative position. Her eyes closed and the force swirled around her, calming herself, she let it flow as a stream to the lake into herself. After what may have been mere seconds or perhaps hours, a familiar voice greeted her.</p><p>
  <em>"Clouded, your future is, youngling. Certain, are you, that it is wise to undertake an apprentice? Failed the Padawan trials, you did."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Master Yoda..? I... She must be trained! We've all been wiped out! We need every body we can get, even if it is a midget with as much metal as flesh. Your death will not be the death of the Jedi"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Died, have I, to you? Alive I am, death, there is not, the force, there is. To Ossus, your path goes, knowledge shall be found upon that tomb of a world. To Ossus you and your friend go. If ready, are you, youngling you shall not remain."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is that a dig at my age?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Laughing was all that answered her, fading into the quietness of the force, alongside the multitude of others who have passed from this realm to the next.</em>
</p><p>Jahima was utterly exhausted. She resolved to take a nice long nap in the grand tradition of the masters after they meditated, or at least Yoda's tradition.</p><p>When Jahima awoke, the blue-green Mirialan sky was replaced by the black abyss of space as Jahima walked back into the Cabin</p><p>"What in blazes took you so long?" Kinti said, here metallic legs resting upon the dashboard.</p><p>"We're going to Ossus." Jahima ordered.</p><p>"Ossus? That dead world? Surely all the artefacts of worth have been looted over the millenia, if you seek credits." </p><p>"Knowledge is what we shall find." Jahima replied</p><p>"How do you know that, anyways? Some secret Jedi power of yours?"</p><p>"The force seems to have its own will, and it wills us to Ossus."</p><p>"That what felt wrong to you? The force tugging at you?" </p><p>"Not precisely, I believe. Make sure to stay ready on Ossus. The natives aren't too friendly."</p><p>"Seems like you'd fit in being on your own for so damn long."</p><p>Jahima went to punch Kinti's shoulder only to find her knuckles bash against hard and cold metal</p><p>"Forgot about my arm?" Kinti said smugly.</p><p>"Anyways, punched in Ossus. What now?"</p><p>"Come with me." Jahima led Kinti to the crew quarters as the freighter jumped into Hyperspace.</p><p>They entered the crew quarters</p><p>"Sit." Jahima commanded, and Kinti obliged.</p><p>"Allow yourself to feel the force, Kinti. Focus upon it so that you may take this lesson to heart." The older woman closed her eyes, and the force began to trickle into her, a light rain into a shallow pond. Jahima began her lesson, and spoke.</p><p>"Surely you know of the force. The force is not a singular entity. It has poles, if you will. There is the Light Side, from where the Jedi draw their strength, and a Dark, where the ancient Sith drew their own. The dark side is chiefly driven by emotion, hatred, rage, jealousy and greed the prime culprits, but all emotion may lead to it. The Dark Side may seem alluring, the right choice, but that is never the case. The Dark Side has its own will, to which it seeks to bend us. Promises of riches and power lead to war and suffering invariably, as that is how power and wealth are most easily accrued in a quick fashion. You must always resist the temptations of the darkness, Kinti, it will turn you into a mockery of everything you once were if you embrace it. The Light Side of the force, too, has it's own will, which it likewise seeks to teach us. The will of the Light is to right injustice, aid the weak, forgive the contrite, and live in harmony with the Galaxy. The Force permeates all things, both Light and Dark. However few have access to it, fewer still are actively effected, and even fewer actually possess such affinity to be trained in it. While the Dark and Light both call to all beings, in a force-sensitive the call of the dark is particularly insidious, as it can twist what is good and just into a tool for itself. Few evil men shall ever say they are evil, indeed the Sith, if asked, shall say the Darkness has freed them, and shall free the Galaxy, instating the natural order in due time. It is impossible to exaggerate your solemn duty to resist the Darkness, whether it reveals itself or wraps itself in morality. The greater good is often how the Darkness overtakes us, that with more power we may free the enslaved, or a million other noble things-but this is never the case. The Darkness frees nothing, neither yourself nor others, instead it enslaves us, corrupting us and eroding our own will. Rather than breaking our chains it presents us with gilded chains, and as with any other intelligent tyrant, 'gifts' us a gilded cage in which we possess illusory freedom."</p><p>Jahima cleared her throat. "The Light is no easy path to walk. One must reject emotion, lust, love, joy, fear and anger, not to the point of soullessness, rather that our moral judgement should not be clouded, and the Darkness resisted. Emotion shall always exist, but we must seek to ignore it when it leads us to the Darkness."</p><p>"You speak as if you know that Darkness well, Jahima." Kinti said, still meditating.</p><p>"In the Exploration Corps we often find artifacts and histories of once great Jedi who fell to the Darkness. Master Jocasta Nu was a member of our corps, much of my knowledge came from her. I failed the initiate trials, however the masters and knights among the corps taught me much of the force. I might be the only Exploration Corpswoman left."</p><p>"I'm guessing much of the Exploration Corps' knowledge was turned against them. Likely how Palpatine's Corps has "discovered" new routes, declassifying your secrets, and hunting you down"</p><p>"Seems likely to me, Kinti. But the Empire caught us by surprise. Most of us were cut down at spaceports...I was the only one in my group who survived. However that is another story, for another time. I suppose we should start with the basics now, so we shall do what we did last time".</p><p>Jahima pulled out her lightsaber and placed it in front of Kinti.</p><p>"Reach out with the force, and lift my lightsaber"  Jahima knelt down in front of Kinti, who wore a face of intense concentration. Slowly the lightsaber began to lift, trembling as if it were in fear. The lightsaber then fell to Kinti's outsretched metallic hand. She gave a sigh of relief and opened her eyes</p><p>"Good. The loss of your right arm and leg, as well as your lower left leg, make this much more difficult. With practice you will find such abilities increasingly less difficult to use. Many Jedi started training with a seemingly insignificant sensitivity to the force, only to become some of the most respected among our order. I heard, though I must confess it may or may not be true, that Master Kenobi of the Council struggled in his formative years.</p><p>"Now, let us continue..."</p><p>Kinti and Jahima sat there for hours, refining the basic manipulation of objects with the force.  What once was painfully slow and exerting was now still slow and exerting, but much less so.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>Ossus, 3637 ATC</strong>
</p><p>The sordid state of the arid plains of Ossus, once covered in thick forests and verdant plains, would surely have brought the old Jedi of millenia past to tears. However neither Kinti nor Jahima ever knew the glory of old Ossus, merely the withering husk of a dead world once sacred to the Jedi. But it was not in the sand dunes the two sought knowledge, if anything was built by the ancient Jedi there, the cataclysm wiped it away long ago. The light freighter, soaring above the sand dunes, would surely have been an otherworldy occurrence to the few Ysanna tribesmen who dwelt in the deserts.</p><p>"Hey Jahima, how do you even know where this Eocho mountain range is? Not exactly like anyone maps this tomb of a world."</p><p>"I've been here before. I've had my share of archaeological work-wait" Jahima closed her eyes, and Kinti could dimly sense her signature, clearly reaching out into the force. After what was perhaps a minute, or perhaps an hour, Jahima could not tell, she spoke to Kinti</p><p>"We land here. You must enter that cave alone."</p><p>"No Eocho mountains I'm guessing? Suppose that saves us trouble with the Ysanna, you said they live there, right?"</p><p>"Some Ysanna nomads venture beyond the Eocho range, be on guard regardless however, the Ysanna are not the only threats upon this world" Spoke Jahima. The landing struts lowered, the ship turning upward to break against the air, with the hull engines firing to guide the ship to the dunes below. The freighter noticeably sank in the dunes as it touched down.</p><p>Jahima said to her apprentice, "Kinti, take my lightsaber. I'll be fine without it".</p><p>"You sure?"</p><p>"Yes. Don't worry. I can handle myself, and I'll be right beside you until you must go off on your own."</p><p>"How do you know that, Jahima?"</p><p>"I was taken to a cave for such things during my initiate trials. As You know, I failed them. That's the tradition of the Jedi Order."</p><p>"Well let's hope your traditions don't get me killed. Let's get going now, this whole planet gives me the creeps." The pair descended down the loading ramp, and without a word they walked to the cave. There was not a sound but the sand underneath their feet, had this been any normal world it would be too quiet. But this was not a normal world, it is Ossus, long scorched dead by supernovas dozens of light years away. Jahima put a hand in front of Kinti, a few metres away from the entrance to the cave.</p><p>"Wait", she said, closing her eyes and listening to the force.</p><p>"Alright, let's get going. Use the lightsaber as a source of light." The yellow beam of Jahima's lightsaber sprung to life.</p><p>"Use that knob to shorten its length. Don't want to collapse the cave after carving out of the stone keeping it up."</p><p>Kinti adjusted the length of rhe lightsaber, making it much more suitable to one of her diminutive stature. The pair entered the cave and Jahima promptly sat down in a meditative position.</p><p>"You go. I'll be staying here." Jahima said. Kinti continued walking down the cave, saying back,</p><p>"All the Jedi as lazy as you are?", but she received no response but laughter. Kinti walked further into the cave, the light of the outside diminishing with every step. She could feel the force leading deeper into the cavern, beckoning to her, and so she followed...</p>
<hr/><p>Jahima awoke in a...temple? She stood herself up, pulling her long, black hair into a pony tail.</p><p>"Is this really what the Jedi have come to?" A tall, black-clad human spoke.</p><p>"I can't say I regret abandoning the Jedi. Truly pathetic if weak vermin like you are what it hinges upon. I shall grant you this small mercy before you die; here is a sword, forged by the Jedi of Ossus. Die as they did, and die with your vaunted traditions and sacred order" The Man said, throwing the short sword right at Jahima. She caught it and jumped into the Ataru stance.</p><p>"Interesting choice. This will be fun." The Man and as he pulled out a circular lighstaber, igniting one of its blades. He lunged at Jahima, swinging his blade right at her shoulder, only to be blocked by Jahima's sword. Without hesitation he spun backward and thrust his saber towards Jahima's core, narrowly missing as she flipped backward. He then threw her into a stone pillar with the force, overcoming Jahima's counter-push against his own.</p><p>"Very well then. I see you wish to have your miserable existence ended sooner than I thought. I shall make this quick." The man said, smiling maniacally as his yellow eyes pierced Jahima. He ignited a second blade and threw his lightsaber at Jahima, only for it to be cut down by a yellow blade. Kinti looked back at Jahima and then ran at the Inquisitor</p><p>"That was a grave mistake, Padawan." The man said. He summoned his saber back to himself, and lunged towards Kinti, taking her off guard with a flurry of attacks and knocking the Lightsaber from her hand.</p><p>"Your Master has failed you, spectacularly. I admire your courage, girl, but it shall not save you." The Inquisitor then plunged the blood red blade into Kinti's remaining flesh thigh, sending her to the ground, dead. Jahima looked on in horror, seeing her first friend in years die the very week she found her. A tear escaped her eye as a long suppressed rage welled up in her.</p><p>"You'll die for that." The Ettian said, rising to her feet and summoning her blade to her open right hand. She ignited it, and with the sword, charged at the mysterious inquisitor, a haze of red and yellow all that would be visible to any onlookers.</p>
<hr/><p>A red saber illuminated the cavern in front of Kinti</p><p>"Think you would outrun me, you grunt?" The Dathomiri said. Kinti pulled the lightsaber into a traditional vibrosword defensive stance, anticipating the Night Sister's next move.</p><p>"Seeing Ventress torture you into her apprentice shall be...exciting." The woman said, promptly charging at Kinti. She crashed her red blade onto Kinti's yellow, quickly evolving into a series of parries, blocks and strikes. The Dathomiri struck with the grace of a fire-dancer, yet the strength of a wookiee. Kinti, however, felt strange even using the lightsaber, its heavy weight surprised her, but despite this she applied her close quarters training as well as she could, defending against the furious strikes of red the Dathomiri brought against her. As the Dathomiri brought her saber down upon Kinti's, an idea sprung into the womans mind. Kinti ducked and deactivated the lightsaber, the Dathomiri stumbled forward as Kinti swung at her knees, cleaving them off. The Dathomiri fell the the ground, crying in agony, as Kinti stole her lightsaber, leaving the Dathomiri unarmed.</p><p>"Go ahead, kill me, Jedi whelp!" She spat out. Kinti brought the red and yellow blades to her throat.</p><p>"I'd certainly like too, you witch." She deactivated the lightsabers, clearly surprising the Dathomiri.</p><p>"But that's not who I am. I won't stoop to your level, when you attacked my squad I hated you, I hated being the survivor after you cut through my vibrosword and left me for dead. Over the course of the war I realised I hated what you did, not you. I'm not killing you."</p><p>As suddenly as the Dark Jedi appeared, she was gone. Kinti could feel the force surrounding her, whatever the hell had happened, She was going to ask Jahima about this.  She closed her eyes to reach out into the force, to see where it tempted her next, yet it led her...behind herself? This was done? She turned around and was greeted by a small green figure, sitting upon a rock.</p><p>"Who are you?" Kinti shouted, unnerved by her new company.</p><p>"Yoda, my name is. Come, sit you must. Talk we shall, Jedi I am."</p><p>Kinti knelt down in front of the green creature.</p><p>"Become a Jedi, why must you?" Yoda said to Kinti</p><p>"I was shown the force by a Jedi before, and Jahima has offered it to me again. It is the way of my Lord that we make use of the gifts we were born with to do what is just." Kinti said in reply.</p><p>"Face the entire galaxy, you think you can? Much injustice there is."</p><p>"Of course not... Its just... I have to do my part! Even of I just save one life, right one wrong, it's worth it. That's what my mum and father taught me, and that is what I learned when I enlisted and that is what I learned from my faith."</p><p>"Hmmm... Think much like a Jedi, your parents did, Kinti Aralli." It nearly slipped past Kinti that the creature knew her name. </p><p>"Your Master, Who is?"</p><p>"Jahima De- Okonzo. Jahima Okonzo. She calls herself Jahima Del now."</p><p>"A member of the Exploration Corps she was. A fine padawan, she would have become, if failed the trials, she did not. The dark side, she used in a customary duel. Ashamed, she was, refuse to start over, she did. Join the Service Corps, she did."</p><p>"How do you know this, Yoda?"</p><p>Yoda laughed. "Told you of me, Jahima did not? Grand Master of the Jedi, I am. Know all Jedi, I have  to."</p><p>"Why are you here, Master Yoda?"</p><p>"Know all the Jedi I must." The green creature said, handing a small object to Kinti</p><p>"I-I'm a Jedi?"</p><p>"A Jedi you are. Take this crystal, Kinti Aralli.  Went to to war you did, down the Jedi path you walked, unknowingly until Master Unduli you met. Finish what Unduli started, your master Jahima will." Yoda said to Kinti, as she took a strange sea green crystal from him, it...sung? As soon as the crystal left the hand of Yoda, he vanished as if he were never there.</p><p>"What the fuck?!" Shouted Kinti, still looking at the strange crystal Yoda jad given her. Feeling she had gotten what she came for, she pocketed the crystal and walked back towards the entrance of the cave.</p><p>"Jahima will think I'm a spice addict after this..."</p>
<hr/><p>The Temple had become a swirl of yellow, grey and red as Kinti and the Inquisitor fought eachother, his focus slowly draining and precision waning. However what the Inquisitor lacked in stamina he made up for in his strength and the design of his lightsaber. As much as Kinti hated to admit it, the Sith had made a fine saber. In an attempt to drive her off, he began to spin his saber rapidly, sending a rush of wind towards the Ettian.  It was then Jahima saw the flaw in the lightsaber of the Sith, and so she plunged her yellow blade right into the hilt, the Inquisitor not moving fast enough to avoid it, cutting his hilt in two and rendering his saber nothing more than a pile of scrap, the Inquisitor fell to the ground, Jahima's yellow blade followed him as he fell upon the cold stone. Just as she went to stab the Inquisitor, her duel during the trials flashed before her, and ashamed of what she was going to do, she flicked off her lightsaber.</p><p>"I'm not going down that path again. Never again." She said, her rage still burning inside her. The inquisitor smirked and kicked her in the shins, sending her on her knees as he swiped her saber, jumping to his feet Grinning ear to ear, he activated the saber and swung it right at Jahima, who just barely registered what had happened. She tried to raise her sword against him, but it was too late.</p><p>"By the right of the council" he said, his eyes having lost their yellow hue, he brought the saber to a stop at her shoulder, swinging it over her head to hear left shoulder</p><p>"By the will of the force." He spoke, saying</p><p>"Arise, Padawan Jahima Del. What I was you are now." The Man said. As Jahima looked upon the man, she realised he was the duelist she sparred against at the trials. His black armour was replaced by brown robes, his maniacal grin replaced by a brown goatee and a gentle smile. Jahima stood up, taking her lightsaber back, she saw the Knight before her turn blue and dissipate in the force, his spirit rejoining it. She was still utterly bewildered, unsure of what to make of the strange man.</p>
<hr/><p>"Hey, hey Jahima" Kinti said anxiously, gently slapping the ettians cheek. Jahima slowly awoke to find Kinti hovering over her worriedly.</p><p>"Let's get out of here, c'mon. Here's your lightsaber, too. If we miss that shipment to Alderaan, its your head and probably mine too given their King is involved."</p><p>"Ughh...What makes you think that?"</p><p>"He's a sep sympathiser. Every time he tried to stall war measures to defeat them."</p><p>"And now the Republic's become the Empire. Maybe if we listened to him this wouldn't have happened."</p><p>"Not the point, he clearly didn't see the Empire coming so he obviously must have supported the seps by opposing military expansion. Let's just go." Kinti said, helping the blue woman to her feet. As Kinti looked to the sky, she asked herself</p><p>
  <em>What knowledge have I found?</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Under the Wing of the King</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Ossus</strong>
</p><p>Jahima and Kinti had decided to stay overnight on Ossus. As the sun of Ossus set sail across the sky, Kinti sat upon her bed, examining the strange crystal Yoda...or whatever...had given her. Transfixed by the strange crystal, humming quietly through the force, Kinti didn't notice Jahima walking in.</p><p>"Kinti! Have you seen R3 around? Computers act-"</p><p>Jahima stared at the crystal Kinti was holding, then inquired,</p><p>"Where the hell did you find that?"</p><p>"This crystal? In the cave a 'Yoda', or I guess some spirit claiming to be named a Yoda, gave it to me."</p><p>"Yoda? Kinti, he was the Jedi Grand Master. That has to be a vision or something, Yoda is dead. That's a lightsaber crystal, don't misplace it."</p><p>"I won't misplace it. I can hear it humming, so it should be easy to locate."</p><p>Jahima whispered to herself "So she's bonded with the crystal..."</p><p>"Bonded?" Kinti said.</p><p>"Yes. When a Jedi searches for a lighsaber crystal, or a kyber crystal, as we call it, we would selected it by searching for one which called to us. Some heard music, others humming, or other strange sounds when they found it.  You must have left some sort of impression on it when you were there, they are naturally clear or ice white."</p><p>"I saw a Dark Jedi, a Dathomiri, and I fought her with your lightsaber. Maybe when I fought that vision I left an impression on the crystal."</p><p>"Seems likely to me. I can get you started on a lightsaber. I have some spare parts on hand, I'll get it from the cargo bay..." Jahima said, walking off. As Jahima went off to gather her spares, R3 rolled out from behind Kinti's greatcoat, hung over the opposite bunk. The droid beeped inquisitively at Kinti, looking at her sea green crystal.</p><p>"I don't speak droid. I found this lightsaber crystal in the cave if that's what you are asking about. There's something wrong with the computer in the cockpit. Better get there before Jahima yells at you again"</p><p>The droid buzzed, seemingly irritated at the work, and rolled out of the bedroom. Jahima saw him rolling towards the cockpit as she exited the cargo hold.</p><p>"R3? Where were you? Go to the cockpit! The navicomputer is acting up again. Fucking sand, I swear, always fucks with it."</p><p>"<em>//R3=Informed by Kinti Aralli.// //R3=Doing now.//</em>"</p><p>"Good. I swear when we arrive on Alderaan I'm going to replace the thing, clearly worn out." Jahima turned the corner into the crew quarters and tossed a small bag of materials to Kinti</p><p>"It's not enough to build a lightsaber. You still need a power cell, cycling fields and a modulation circuit." Said Jahima.</p><p>"Thank you, Jahima. Where'd you even get this stuff?"</p><p>"I was thinking about making a second lightsaber. Never got round to it. Anyways as soon as the controls are fixed its off to Alderaan with us. I'll fly the ship, get some rest."  Kinti decided that it was time to hit the sack, so sat on her bed, took off her pants and detached her metal legs, then using her left arm, detached her right arm. Kinti pulled herself to the pillow, drew her blanket over herself, and then, slow as a gentle stream, sleep overtook her.</p><p>While Kinti slept, loudly snoring, much to R3's apparent delight, R3 plugged into the navicomputer and began to diagnose the litany of issues in the computer. The Exploration Corps, it would seem, was much more fond of force-navigation than it was of navicomputers. After about of minute of buzzing and whirring words even Jahima's foul mouth wouldn't dare utter, he unplugged and gave a chirp of approval, and rolled off. Jahima sat in the pilots seat before engaging the launch sequence, and in short order the cave amongst the endless desert of Ossus became another indistinguishable tract of sand beneath the freighter.</p><p>Jahima spoke to herself, "Next stop: Brentaal". As the blue skies of Ossus lent to the dark shroud of the stars, Jahima entered Brentaal into the navicomputer, and then jumped to hyperspace, admiring the swirling blue and white of Hyperspace. With all good luck, whatever Kinti may need for a lightsaber would be present on Brentaal.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>Brentaal IV</strong>
</p><p>"Jayn? Jayn!" Kinti said, as Jahima tried to wake her.</p><p>"Kinti! Will you get up already? You sleep more than a bloody loth-cat!".</p><p>Kinti's grey eyes opened to the blue woman standing above her<br/>
<br/>
"ugh."</p><p>"Who even is Jayn?"</p><p>"He... was a friend of mine. Jayn, or by his proper name Onin, convinced me to join the Telosian Army. How did you know his name?" Kinti said, visibly confused.</p><p>"You were shouting in your sleep, no Jedi trickery necessary here. Not that reading you is very difficult."</p><p>Kinti grew even more confused. Stars, she really wished she could be sleeping again.</p><p>"Reading me?" she said.</p><p>"How did you think I knew you wouldn't turn me in for revealing myself as a Jedi? Didn't take much to read your thoughts for me to find out what you thought about us" the blue woman replied.</p><p>"I don't much like the idea of you crawling into my head. Could you help me put my limbs back on?" Kinti motioned to her discarded metal limbs. Jahima quickly picked up her metallic arm and slotted it into place, locking it so it would not come undone. She then did the same with Kinti's right leg, slotting it in place and locking it down, and repeating the same for her left shin, locking it down onto the metal attachments.</p><p>"Do you always need help with this, Kinti?" Jahima inquired.</p><p>"No, I usually leave them in. Just get cold on me once the ship turns down the heat for the sleeping period you have programmed in." Kinti said, removing herself from her bed, grabbing her pants and pulling them back on. </p><p>"Where even are We?"</p><p>"Brentaal, Kinti. I stopped off since I figured I could buy some components for you, for the saber. Anyways let's get started with the Lightsaber."</p><p>Jahima pulled out a compact arc welder, then placing the sack of materials on the nearby workbench</p><p>"First, We'll get the Emitter ready. Weld the stabiliser ring to the emitter shroud."</p><p>Kinti stepped forward and took hold of the arc welder, blue sparks flying about as she welder the two pieces together, careful not to overheat the metal. Kinti slowly turned the two pieces with her robotic arm as the welder merged the two pieces, before finally spinning it around to the point where she began welding a few minutes later. Jahima then, without a word, handed Kinti the blade's energy channel, which Kinti screwed into place in short order, before finally putting down the apparatus she had constructed.</p><p>"That's all we can build for now, come, there's a repair shop on the other side of our pad, let's pay 'em a visit", Jahima said. The two exited the loading ramp and made to the repair shop ahead of them. As they entered, an elderly Rodian nodded to them, before getting back to speaking with a customer. Jahima scanned the various boxes and containers of wires, gears, spikes, batteries and cylinders before finally finding a suitable power cell. Jahima tapped Kinti's shoulder, motioned to the power cells, and Kinti proceeded to take one of the large cells; it wasn't diatium, but it should do. Kinti found a pair of cycling fields further down the aisle, before Jahima stopped her search for the circuit.</p><p>In hushed tone, Jahima said, "We'll get that somewhere else.  Avoid suspicion, let's go."</p><p>Kinti obliged and brought the components to the counter, where the Rodian had finished speaking with the previous customer.</p><p>"That all?", The Rodian asked.</p><p>"It is."</p><p>"14 credits."</p><p>Kinti produced a ten-credit ingot and two two-credit ingots, placing it on the counter.</p><p>The Rodian took the credits and said, "Safe travels, spacer."</p><p>"Have a nice day", Kinti said, as she pocketed the components. She and Jahima then left the shop, boarding their freighter, and preparing the launch sequence. As quickly as the Ghtroc freighter was on the surface, it was off to the stars. As the hyperdrive engaged the black veil of the night was replaced by the whirling blues and white of hyperspace, and Kinti and Jahima went to further construct Kinti's lightsaber. Kinti's metallic legs made a distinctive metal clang against the floor as they approached the room, before finally coming to a stop before the work bench. Jahima spoke up,</p><p>"Next thing you'll need is to get that power cell sealed into the insulator".</p><p>Kinti took the electric cell and screwed it into the insulating cylinder.</p><p>"Now screw on the crystal mount", the blue woman said.</p><p>Kinti extended the mechanical drill bit on the arc welder, and began to screw in three loose screws into the apparatus, making sure each was tightly in.</p><p>"Now we'll need a modulation circuit. Luckily for you, while you were sleeping, R3 and I programmed this chip to control energy based upon knob inputs". Jahima handed a small chip to Jahima, who in turn inserted the wire connection into the emitter matrix, leaving two more sets of wires for later construction.</p><p>"Good. Now take the cycling fields. There are two slots which can hold them. Weld them in place along the blade energy channel."</p><p>Kinti obliged, pressing the first cycling field into a groove, then welding both of it's ends to the energy channel. Kinti repeated the same tedious process for the second cycling field.</p><p>"Insert the wires into the port on the cyclers", Jahima commanded.</p><p>Kinti used her metallic hand to pinch the wire in question and plug it into the attachment on the cycling field, repeating the same for the second wire onto the second cycler.</p><p>"Good job, Kinti. Now you must attach the two pieces. Hold that piece, I will weld these metal supports between that and the other to hold them in place. From there, you just need a casing", Jahima said.</p><p>Kinti turned off and placed her welder down, before reaching her flesh hand, her hand taking hold of one piece, and Jahima levitated the other. Jahima welded a metal piece between the two halves of a saber, then rotating it one hundred eighty degrees in Kinti's hand, before welding a second metal support on. Once finished, Jahima said</p><p>"We've still got to get to Alderaan, Kinti. Let's get to the cockpit. R3, message our buyer and tell him his shipment is coming soon", the droid rolled off to the comm system as instructed.</p><p>"What the hell are we even going to do on Alderaan? Just waltz on into the bloody palace?" Kinti asked, increasingly uncomfortable with the prospect of meeting a not so subtle separatist supporter.</p><p>"I'm not suicidal, of course we won't. We'll land in a mountain-lee north of the Organa estate and use a smuggling tunnel to enter the palace. That way, nobody can pin which ship delivered the weapons if his plan goes awry, since I can change our signature with some trickery. Try not to piss him off", he's paying us 2000 credits for this shipment" The blue woman replied.</p><p>"I'm still going armed. I don't trust Senators, especially a seppie lover"</p><p>"He isn't a bloody sep, and even if he were that would make him the enemy of our enemy" Jahima said.</p><p>"Whatever. Let's just get to the cockpit, we're close to exiting now". Kinti took her near finished hilt and placed it in her inner coat pocket. The pair walked to the cockpit, seating themselves as the craft exited hyperspace, jolting them forward.</p><p>"Put us online with our customer, R3. He'd prefer us not to arrive unannounced". R3 beeped affirmatively and in a second Bail Organa appeared on the communications system.</p><p>"I trust my supplies are ready, captain?"</p><p>"Yes, your Majesty", Jahima said, setting course for the palace of the King.</p><p>"Good. Proceed to the landing zone" Organa said, before the feed cut out. Jahima guided the freighter to Alderaan, the black veil of the stars replaced by the black sky of the Alderaanian night, before finally landing the ship.</p><p>
  <strong>Alderaan</strong>
</p><p>The rusted Ghtroc freighter set itself down upon a small clearing, adjacent to the grey mountain rock which had been darkened by the veil of night. R3 sent a signal confirming the landing, then opening the loading ramp. A wide automated door opened itself, camouflaged with dirt and foliage. Within short order a dozen or so Alderaanian guardsmen boarded the ship and began unload hovercrates of blasters and explosives, bringing them to a turbolift, which in turn, led to the Organa estate. A guardsmen entered the cockpit and spoke,</p><p>"His Majesty would like a word with you".</p><p>Jahima looked to Kinti and R3, and the trio then followed the guardsmen to the near-full turbolift. Once they boarded, a guardsmen pressed a green button, sinking the lift one or two dozen meters and sending it southward to the Organa estate. As the dim torches the guardsmen held illuminated the cavern rock with their scant yellow light, an overwhelming scent of oil and rust came upon the group, but before any questions could be asked, the lift came to a halt and a metal blast door opened, revealing the basement of the Organa estate. A Duro guardsmen announced to the trio</p><p>"His Majesty is on the second floor". The Duro motioned toward the elevator as Jahima, Kinti and R3 exited the lift, followed by the guards hauling the crates of weaponry and munitions. The trio entered the elevator and Kinti brought it to the second floor. The door slid open to reveal Bail Organa reclining on a couch drinking a blue spirit of some sort.</p><p>"Welcome, Miss Del. And who else do I have the pleasure of meeting?"</p><p>Kinti spoke up, "Kinti Aralli, former major in the Telosian army. That's R3, your Majesty". R3 buzzed a greeting to the King. </p><p>"You may dispense of the pleasantries, major, I may be King but I am no egotist. Here is your payment, as promised" Bail said, brandishing several one-thousand credit ingots. As Jahima took the payment the king then spoke to Kinti</p><p>"Since you were an officer, perhaps my proposal shall interest you?", the king said.</p><p>"I'm listening", Kinti said, arching an eyebrow to the King.</p><p>"An...asset, of mine, has been captured by the Empire. They are holding him captive in the prison of the city of Ahto on Manaan, he is in cell E13. Ahto is heavily surveilled, by both the Selkath and Empire. Dock at bay A19, as I have ensured it is available at twenty seven hundred hours Ahto time and it will have a minimal Selkath guard. Normally, I would just have you two bust him out in a blaze of glory, however, since you were an officer, you should be able to use your uniform in order to bluff your way into the prison. From there, I trust you can safely extract my asset. Any questions?"</p><p>"Yes, your Majesty. How will I use a valid military ID if anyone gets suspicious, my own clearly states I'm retired and obviously not assigned to the prison?"</p><p>"Rather simple affair, major. Just give me a holo of yourself in uniform, which I presume you possess, and I will be able to submit to your ship's fabrication device a false ID with your holo on it. It won't stand any thorough checks, but you shouldn't have any applied to you at a third security class prison"  the King said.</p><p>"Also, I will forgo my share. Instead, I need some material and manufacturing equipment. Only temporarily" Kinti said</p><p>"And what would those be?" the King asked.</p><p>"A non-conductive, malleable, metal sheet, a mallet, a furnace and several hours with no questions asked." Jahima said. Kinti gave her a curious glance, alongside the King.</p><p>"What?", Jahima said, acquiring a curious glance from the king.</p><p>"Would Haysian alloy do?" Bail said.</p><p>"Yes, your Highness", Kinti said, getting a subtle nod of approval from Jahima.</p><p>"Come then, I have a friend who may just possess such equipment", The King said. He motioned to the balcony and Jahima, Kinti and R3 followed him to a speeder perched upon the balcony. He entered the speeder, followed by R3 being lifted in by Jahima, then with Kinti climbing into the passenger seat and Jahima staying alongside R3 in the back. The King asked Kinti as he started up the speeder</p><p>"Where on Telos are you from?"</p><p>"Ben-Ammon, in the Kasai reservation." Kinti said. Bail pressed the accelerator, and the speeder quickly shot off from the platform, after a few seconds Bail spoke again.</p><p>"Kasai?" he said.</p><p>"We're a confederation of nine tribes in the north hemisphere of Telos. I'm of the tribe Ezkelesh, the others are the tribes of Anun, Eshesh, Theresh, Nonesh, Hishesh, Gwydolesh, Devesh and the Ha-Ratesh. We aren't much integrated into the Telosian government or society" replied Kinti.</p><p>"I suppose you having Mirialan ancestry explains your rather sickly greenish-yellow appearance. How'd the Mirialans intermingle with your people anyways?" Bail inquired, turning left down a deserted speeder-way</p><p>"Many thousands of years ago, Xim the Despot enslaved our ancestors, and enslaved  the Mirialans who rebelled against his rule. Once Xim's empire fell, in the ensuing chaos the five thousand of us left, with two thousand Mirialans, escaped from captivity and found refuge on Tantive V. Eventually, over nineteen thousand Coruscanti years later, due to increasing centralisation by the Tantive governate, and promises of self-governance by the new Telosian government, our council voted to migrate our people to the restored planet of Telos.</p><p>"Didn't Xim's empire fail to expand to Mirial though? How could the Mirialans have rebelled against him?" Bail said. </p><p>"Xim's influence stretched well beyond his borders. He had many loyal vassals surrounding his borders, such as the Mirialans. Several Mirialan nations and tribes rebelled at various times, and as punishment their cities were sacked and their people sold into slavery. It was his vassals who gave his empire its might, and once they began to fall to famines, plagues and invasions, his empire began to decline. Without the soldiers and ships of his vassals, who had either rebelled or were otherwise engaged in other conflicts, the Hutts eventually defeated him in battle and took him captive. Following his capture, his empire fell. From there the Neo-Argite civilisations began to form, creating the modern cultural landscape of the Tion cluster."</p><p>"I see the Kasai must be ones for stories, few know the history of the Galaxy beyond that of the core" said the king. The King sped down a dirt path, clearly old and unkempt, as the plant life had overgrown to such a degree a large speeder could no longer pass through it. He hesitated, before speaking again.</p><p>"Now, let us get to business. Some of my 'fulcrum' agents have low level positions within the Empire, granting us much information about its daily operations and plans. Dock A19 is under Selkath guard by the time you should be exiting with the asset, about twenty-eight hundred hours Ahto time on Manaan" the King said. He turned into what appeared to be a small scrapyard, bits of metal of various quality and colour strewn about a clearing in the alpine forest which brought Alderaan much of its fame. Kinti noticed a rather clean looking sheet of haysian alloy left sitting in the open, clearly placed there by the king's unknown benefactor. The king brought the speeder to a stop about 70 metres from a cheaply constructed metal workshop, with two exhaust vents clearly filled with soot and rather small bits of metal from the metallurgists working there earlier that day.</p><p>"Since you have taken a more active role in working for me, you will be known by the callsigns fulcrum 17 and 18. Your code phrase will be..." The King paused for a moment, stroking his goatee, "under the shadow of the great wroshyyyrs". He then reached for a bulky comms device in a compartment to his right on the speeder, then saying "Give me a holo when you need to be picked up, and don't lose this, use it to report back to me once the asset is recovered . Understood?"<br/>
<br/>
"Yes, your Excellency" Jahima spoke up, taking a rather bulky communications device from Bail. Once R3, Jahima, and Kinti had exited Bail's speeder, he sped down another path, leading further into the woods.</p><p>As Kinti went off to grab the Haysian alloy, R3 and Jahima approached the door of the makeshift metal plant.</p><p>"R3, make sure all cameras are turned off" Jahima instructed, pointing to a port located near the large metal doorway. R3 plugged into it, quickly bypassing the meagre security which protected the central computer, before deactivating the cameras, then short circuiting them for good measure.</p><p>"//<em>Cameras=Shorted out+Off. R3+Kinti+Jahima=enter now?//"</em>  R3 chirped out. It was then Kinti, holding the rather small sheet of haysian alloy, approached R3 and Jahima, before Jahima motioned for her to enter, then sliding open the rather heavy door. R3 turned on his built-in torch and illuminated the dark room, quickly landing the torch-beam upon a mallet and several other metallurgical implements located on a wooden table immediately right of a surprisingly advanced furnace. R3 then said to Kinti</p><p>"<em>//You+R3+CorStar Forge Model 15=Lightsaber. You≠need mallet.//"</em> , with Jahima relaying the translation "R3 will help you build it with the forge, we don't need the mallet". Jahima looked to R3 as he rolled up to a port on the machinery, plugging in, then a slot for materials appeared, with Kinti having to stand on Jahima's shoulders to place it in. On a screen to the right of R3, a model of Jahima's saber's outer casing appeared. Getting the hint, Kinti showed him her incomplete lightsaber, with him scanning it and reducing the radius and height of the model, before beeping something out to Kinti.</p><p>"He wants to know if you want to make any changes from the displayed casing" Jahima said</p><p>"What would you recommend?" asked Kinti.</p><p>"Well, since you are quite short, and likely weaker than any opponent, I would recommend the Makashi form of combat. Therefore, you should have corrugations along the grip to improve your grip, as this is especially important in Makashi. I would also recommend a guard before the blade emerges, in order to prevent any accidents. The lightsaber should reflect its user, so in addition to those any designs or engravings you may find significant may be carved into the hilt" Jahima said.</p><p>"Ok then. R3, in addition to what recommendations Jahima made, I would like you to engrave this image on the hilt, between the grip and the saberguard". Kinti then reached for a datapad in her coat's pocket, loading an image of an enthroned man holding a spear with five women and three men stood around him, all in various poses and loose, flowing clothing. She inserted it into R3, who after a few seconds of loading the image into the machine, ejected the datapad back to Kinti. R3 bleeped and chirped a question to Kinti</p><p>"He wants to know what that image represents" Jahima said.</p><p>"It is Shaddai, King of the Heavens alongside the Goddesses Myr, Anumhahir, Ezkela, Donona and Zaishi and the Gods Eluh, Ojahm and Ni'ito" Kinti said with some reverence, "My sister painted that for my Father, a priest of a temple of Myr". R3 beeped something about the picture, one which Jahima either refused to or could not translate. The forge quickly turned itself on, heating the room to an uncomfortable degree as the haysian alloy melt, entering some sort of casting, evidently one which had a cast programmable to the desired object the creator wished to make. For such a run-down and shoddily constructed workshop this was, it had quite advanced machinery, almost suspiciously so. A cooling fan quickly turned on, expelling the searing hot air and a cloud of black smoke from the furnace into the atmosphere of Alderaan. After about thirty seconds of blasting the casting with freezing air from a highly specialised air conditioner, the machine then, extremely loudly and slowly, carved into the still unseen casting, likely either producing the metallic knobs and power button of the saber or the engraving, Kinti reasoned. After several minutes of the increasingly annoying and loud cutting and engraving noises, the casting splashed into what was clearly some sort of liquid coolant, quickly causing a hissing sound as it boiled away. The hissing rapidly quieted, eventually dying out completely, before a second blast of air was heard, drying off the casting, before finally being ejected from the machine. A bronze-tinted cylinder, with several holes and a small, circular guard and shallow corrugations stood</p><p>"Now take your unfinished saber, and slide it in, from the top, into the hilt" Jahima said. Kinti then took the unfinished saber and placed it into the hilt, rotating it until it locked into place.</p><p>"Look alright?" Kinti asked, grasping the still warm hilt.</p><p>"Let's see" Jahima said, taking the newly constructed lightsaber from her apprentice's hand with her free hand</p><p>. She examined it, before pressing a metallic button, producing a cyan blade from the hilt. Jahima adjusted the length of the lightsaber to a more reasonable length for Kinti, turned it off, and handed it back to her.</p><p>"Now to Manaan" Jahima said, motioning for R3, who had his photoreceptor fixed upon Kinti's lightsaber, to go outside with Kinti. R3 beeped something about erasing the model from the computer, and after a few seconds he and Kinti left. Jahima took the comms device, turning it on, which produced a strange holographic symbol. She racked her brain for the code, before snapping her fingers and speaking</p><p>"Under the shadow of the great wroshyyyrs. We've finished". A heavily distorted voice replied<br/>
<br/>
"So soon? I'll take you back to your ship". The communication ended and Jahima then turned off the machine, picked it off the ground and walked out of the building</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>Organa Estate, Alderaan</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"That was rather fast" said the King, shutting off a comms device while reclining on his imported Alsakan couch. He then looked to R2-D2, standing to his left, saying</p><p>"Hey R2! What did they do in that building anyways?"<br/>
<br/>
"<em>//Three individuals=enter after short-circuiting security systems. Our camera=record forge make a metal cylinder. Second metal cylinder=inserted into first. Energy blade=emerge from cylinders.//"</em></p><p>"Good thing we installed that extra camera, I figured they'd shut down the security system, but short circuiting it was unexpected. Suppose a laser sword could be useful for one of my agents. Come on, lets pick 'em up". </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for this taking ages, I've been too busy wasting my time on stupid crap. Anyways lets hope America doesn't get boring again since Trump left office. It feels like we're on a coke withdrawal right now, we just can't cope with the media not being in hysterics 24/7.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Note: the date shall be signified with "After the Treaty of Coruscant" from SW:TOR. The Clone wars began in 3631 ATC. To convert dates to BBY, remember the year zero in ATC is 3654 BBY, so subtract any given ATC date from that to get the BBY year. It would make no sense to use BBY before the battle of Yavin, no?</p><p>I was inspired to write this by "The Erosion of the Spirit" published here. I would highly recommend checking it out and the rest of 425599167's work.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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